Obsessed with Asian/Korean stuff - taking your skincare to level 3!

[FrugalFashionista]

Asian and Korean skincare products are big thing right now. We love them!
Tailor your multistep skincare routine here! (or see this pic)

Some of our favorite products so far...
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50 Sunscreen
Missha Magic Cushion BB Cream #21
Lioele Dollish Veil Vita in Purple
Holika Holika Petit Jelly BB Cream
CosRx Returning A-sol
Scinic Propolis Serum
Mizon Hyaluronic Acid Serum
Missha Time Revolution Night Repair Science Activator Ampoule
Missha Super Aqua Cell Renew Snail products & trial kit
Mizon Snail Repair Cream
Mizon Returning Starfish Cream
Mizon Good Night White Sleep Mask
Innisfree Wine Jelly Sleeping Pack
My Beauty Diary Imperial Birds Nest and Hyaluronic Sheet Masks
Innisfree Trouble Care Sheet Masks
Innisfree Real Squeeze Sheet Masks
Tony Moly Avocado Mask
Nexcare Acne Patches

Our favorite sellers:
UK-based Bits and Bobs of Beauty
EU-based Missha.ee, Missha.de
Korean Innisfree
On eBay f2plus1, sing-sing girl, Iamlove, blueprint21
Orders from outside the EU: £15 or less are VAT free!

Blogs and other resources
Reddit Asian Beauty, Fifty Shades of Snail, Snow White & Asian Pear, Skin & Tonics
more resources here...
Vol 2 of this thread here and Vol 1 of here

Please come and share your questions, experiences, links and best shopping tips!

I really want to try the double cleansing method (currently only use Superdrug hot cloth cleanser) but I'm a bit funny with oils on my skin. Does anyone know of a decent one or a trial sized one I can get to see how I fare?

Oh and I'm currently bemused by eye lid glue, I think to get some kind of coveted double eyelid or something?!

Oo frugal you have sent me down the rabbit hole! Just been looking up empty cushion compacts and they do them on eBay for £6.. I had no luck finding a bb cushion for my colour so I think I will try this - end of the day now and missha perfect cover is still looking pretty good, dewy and less oil than usual.. Thumbs up! Will try out this combo again tomorrow then take the plunge next month and order the empty cushion - thanks for the brilliant idea!

When you say a bit funny, what do you mean? I've been using the Body Shop one but it does have a few acne triggers in it per Cosdna. Suits my skin down to the ground though.

Balms are are good start if you don't like the idea of using an oil, as they turn oil-like on the skin and emulsify with a splash of water. They do normally contain something that turns the oil into a balm, like a wax. Banila Clean it Zero looks like a very good option, and you can buy 4 sample pots from Rubyrubyshop on ebay for under £4 and free shipping here. If you want it now then Lush do a balm cleanser called Ultrabland which is excellent - unless you have an issue with beeswax, that is.

As far as oils go, I've spotted some samples of Etude House Real Art Cleansing oil on the same seller's pages, again for around £3. They also had samples of the Innisfree Apple Cleansing oil yesterday but I can't see it now. However, I think you probably can't go wrong with trying the Johnson & Johnson aloe & vitamin e baby oil. I know! But I ran it through Cosdna and it has nothing - NOTHING!!!- that acts as an acne trigger or an irritant. I may go get myself a bottle, and decant it into something more presentable

GERTI, what Benton product are you using? I wrote them off initially because of the contamination thing but keep coming back to them.

I've used (some of) a sample of COSRX All In One Snail Cream tonight as well as the snail gel. It's nice! Really light texture - not what I expected for a "cream" at all tbh, easily absorbed. My skin drank it all up.

Think I might add snail cream to my list...although starfish-es packaging has me tempted to try that too.

On the subject of cream/lotion...I wonder why the difference. It occurred to me while putting on body "lotion" after my shower that that lotion was more what I'd call a cream iyswim? A lotion should be lighter. I shall be googling at some point.

Fallen, eyelid glue is used to create the crease in the lid iyswim? Rather than just having a flat eyelid. Does that make sense?

I'm not capable of linking app to app but if you google "what is eyelid glue used for", the first link that comes up is a youtube video.

Can we talk sunscreens please? I've still yet to take the plunge with asian sunscreens, and I'm utterly intrigued by the Bioré one. Is it worth it?

I'm only asking because I still have the LRP Anthelios and Heliocare gel to use up, and while I love the Heliocare almost enough to eschew any other, I'm not quite able to ignore the siren call of this thread.

Scrambled I'm looking at the Biore sunscreen too, have yet to take the plunge. I used LRP when my skin was very bad and really did like it but can't justify the price unless it's on offer.

I've embarked on a mammoth mission to find out what triggers my acne. I searched all the products which made me breakout into Cosdna. Seems I have a problem with any type of oil, even in small amounts and butylene glycol. however butylene glycol also features in some products that my skin likes! This is a mammoth mission indeed.

Really any type of oil? Goodness! What do you use that doesn't break you out?

Off to whack a sheet mask on my face. I got the jitters about Benton and now I'm keeping all of their sheet masks plus the samples in the fridge! Should be lovely and cool.

Here's my updates routine, it's a CH/Korean mash up:

Am

Day 1 - Wash off the night with just warm water & gentle flannel, sometimes Cerave hydrating cleanser
Day 2 - there will be flakes so Emma Hardy balm/Innisfree Apple Cleansing oil/Apple peeling gel gently massaged to remove flakes

Micellar water
Clerasil fruit acid pads - leave for ten minutes while I eat breakfast
DIY Vit c serum from Active formulas kept in fridge - leave for ten mins
Mizon snail cream - leave for five mins
Biore sunscreen - leave for five min
Lanacane as a primer

PM

Emma Hardie balm/Cerave cleanser - will get TBS camomile oil tomorrow
Micellar water
Muji moisturising essence - leave to dry

Day 1
Missha long name ampoule
Possible mask
Cerave PM moisturiser
Holika Holika White wine sleep pack if I can be bothered

Day 2
Retin A
Holika Holika White wine sleep pack

Thank you knowledgeable ladies. I will look those things up Scrambled (sorry don't know how to link to user names in the post). I think I need to stop looking at stuff as my stash is getting large and my bank balance small.

Oh and when I say funny, I mean it's me. I don't really like greasy stuff on my face so I've steered clear of oils and only ever used foaming cleansers that got my face squeaky clean. No wonder I had so many spots! I'm not allergic to anything though.

Just the Effaclar face wash and redermic r but my skin is terribly dry with acne from it.
I'm determined to make this work though!

A massive thanks to those posting their routines, it's really helpful!

Scrambled I'd say that if you have a sunscreen that you already love and like to use every day, it is not worth ordering a new product. I love Biore but pink and peachy Missha and Neutrogena Clear Face are almost as nice.

Getrude that sounds amazing, and truly a mammoth mission! What an effort! Be very careful with sheet masks and Asiam moisturizers, butylene glycol is everywhere. I'm very sensitive to any oils too.

Mowglik I'm glad!

Newsreader - beware of TBS oil! I know squoosh and I rave about it, but Gertrude had an allergic reaction. Patch test! Seriously, whack a little bit on from the tester bottle and find out how you react.

There's a good explanation of how to patch test on Skincare Addiction on Reddit - www.reddit.com/r/SkincareAddiction/comments/14sd25/i_just_learned_how_to_do_a_test_patch_properly/

Obviously using the tester bottle instore only works if you're testing for an allergic reaction. Just put a dab behind your ear and find out if you react to it.

In other news, Lunatu.com has a 'sale' on. In the loosest sense of the word . But they're UK based so useful to know. They sell a lot of K-beauty but the prices aren't exactly eBay-cheap.

Fallen I'm using Skin Food Black Sugar Cleansing Oil, don't think it's overly greasy, it's very lightweight really. Smells divine & doesn't leave a greasy film when rinsed off with water.

I can't find any samples on ebay to link but sure there will be some somewhere if you did fancy trying it

Do a test Newsreader but I'm exceptionally reactive so I think you'll be ok. Lots of people get on well with it

Dear Me that shop is expensive!! £16.50 for a BB cream? psssht I'd rather wait 2 weeks, then forget what I've ordered, then feel like getting little presents

Just joining this thread as am becoming quite obsessed!
Heads up for spatula seekers - there are quite a few over on Amazon :)

I've just found some samples of Innisfree apple cleansing oil so gonna order them and then nothing else for at least a month. The skin food black sugar one will be on my to buy list though.

Ah, thanks Frugal. I think I'll stick with Heliocare. It's very healing too, it's the only sunscreen I've ever used that actively diminished my acne, and it feels very light and soothing when you put it on.

Damn, why was I even thinking of buying something else?!

And the prize for most phallic k-beauty packaging goes to...

frugal thanks for the heads up on the bb cream. I will check that out today!

My routine thus far ( awaiting 2 cosrx products: A-sol to bring the ph down and prep the skin and the black head(bha) . I really want the white head one too(aha). I emailed iamloveshop on ebay ( bloody great name) about customs concerns and they said not to worry they mark everything as a $7 gift anyway!!).

So as it stands I wash face, wait 20 mins, vit c serum, wait 20 -30 mins. BHA first, wait 20 mins and then AHA( if using) . The BHA dissolves oil, clearing the way for the AHA to nibble away at old cells! On one of the blogs they said to think of using the acids, aha, bha AND c serum as an extension of the cleansing
I am using my retin 3 nights in a row now and then having a night off.
Anyway there has been a marked difference in the condition of my skin since doing the wait times with the acids!!

scrambled I forked out for a heliocare gel. I thought it would be gel like. It is a greasy mess! I can't use it on my face at all. That was an expensive mistake. Just goes to show how different we all are!